BarTalk February 2003
Volume 15, Number 1

A web-based resource built just for you

by Patricia Jordan

We want to hear from you, as the CBABC Web site is your online legal resource. I invite you to send your comments and suggestions to webmaster@bccba.org. How are we doing? What would you like to see online?

Are you looking for Member Services information online? The Member Products and Services web page contains information on a variety of services: accommodation, banking, boutique items, car lease/rental/sales, communications, entertainment, health and wellness, insurance, investments, lawyer’s cases, legal consulting, legal support services and products, photography, professional services, publications, standard contracts, travel, and wholesale warehouse. ‘What’s New’ has the latest offerings from Member Services.

CBABC Web Facts

• Members visited www.bccba.org more than 75,000 times in 2002

• Dial-A-Law scripts, found in the public area, were accessed more than 13,300 times in 2002, a 50 per cent increase since 2001

New Documents Online

• Law Day 2003, Dial-A-Lawyer Participant Registration Form (Newsroom)

• Law Week 2003, Student Mentor Program Form (Newsroom)

Did You Know?
The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) recently recommended the creation of three new domains in 2003. While current unsponsored domains such as dot-com, dot-org and dot-net are open to potential registrants, sponsored domains would be restricted to non-commercial enterprises such as dot-museum and dot-coop. Although ICANN initially plans to restrict sponsored domains to non-commercial enterprises, the possibility of sponsored domains such as dot-lawyers and dot-law remains viable. ICANN may select new domains based on public input.

Ask the Webmaster
What is a web bug?
A web bug can be an ad or a graphic image on a web page. Most web bugs are the size of a period (.) and function as hidden tracking devices embedded in e-mail to monitor if an e-mail is read and if it’s forwarded. Web bugs transmit information about e-mail recipients back to the tracker’s server, creating a communication trail. The e-mail’s content may even be forwarded to the server where the tracker can read your conversation. Web bugs aren’t limited to web pages or e-mail, they can be embedded in documents to track who has opened the document, and when.

When you access a Web site and click on a hyperlink, a request is sent to a web server identified by the Web site address. Web pages usually consist of advertising banners, graphics, images and text, which may not originate from only one source. Advertising banners, graphics and text are often hosted on separate servers. When a request to view a web page is made, the content returned may derive from multiple servers and not from the server identified in the original Web site address. Ad banners are commonly pulled from third party ad servers and may contain web bugs hidden on the web page sending information to a third party server without your knowledge or permission. This information may include your Internet Service Provider, the type of browser and operating system you use, cookies and other data. This information can be cross-referenced and matched with data previously collected and analyzed by the site you are visiting, by your Internet Service Provider, or by third parties and tracking companies providing content on the web page.

Patricia Jordan is the CBABC Manager, Interactive Media. She welcomes your comments, questions, and suggestions. If you’re having difficulty finding a document online, need an answer, or would like something added to the site, contact her at pjordan@bccba.org or call 604.646.7861.

This article was published in the February 2003 issue of BarTalk and is subject to the copyright by the British Columbia Branch of the Canadian Bar Association, 2005, all rights reserved.